Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps

In 1859 there was considerable public interest in the creation of a Volunteer Force to assist the British Army, and the creation of volunteer corps were authorised in War Office circulars that year. In response, a "Volunteer Engineering Staff Corps for the Arrangement of Transport of Troops and Stores, the Construction of defensive works and the destruction of other works in case of Invasion" was proposed in 1860 by Charles Manby, then honorary secretary of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). He submitted his scheme to the War Office through the Marquess of Salisbury, as Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex. The then Secretary of State for War, Sidney Herbert, replied to say that he believed such a Corps would be a great advantage to the public service and that he would recommend Her Majesty to accept its formation as soon as the principal features had been agreed. Negotiations with the numerous independent railway companies took some time but in September 1864 the Inspector General of Volunteers, Colonel William McMurdo conveyed the approval of the Secretary of State, now Earl de Grey and Ripon, and went on to set out the objects and duties the Secretary of State would require of the Corps. On 7 November Manby submitted the names of 12 civil engineers and 9 general managers who would form the nucleus of the Corps. Once the Queen had accepted the services of the Corps on 4 January 1865 the first 21 officers were commissioned on 21 January 1865. The founding civil engineers comprised George Parker Bidder, John Hawkshaw, John Robinson McClean, John Fowler, Charles Hutton Gregory, Joseph Cubitt, Thomas Elliot Harrison, George Willoughby Hemans, George Robert Stephenson, Charles Blacker Vignoles, William Henry Barlow, Charles Manby and the general managers included James Joseph Allport. The objective of the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps was to ensure "the combined action among all the railways when the country is in danger" and tasked particularly with "the preparation, during peace, of schemes for drawing troops from given distant parts and for concentrating them within given areas in the shortest possible time". The original establishment of 21 officers was expanded to 110 in 1908 before being subsequently reduced to a strength of 60 officers. and celebratory events included a dinner at One Great George Street on 26 November at which the guest of honour was HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal. == Current work ==

In 2015 the Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps, together with the General Service Corps, were incorporated into the 77th Brigade. Officers who cease to be engaged in a relevant profession must offer to resign their commissions but may retain their appointment on the Commanding Officer's recommendation and with the approval of the Army Board of the Defence Council. All officers of the corps are briefed to expect calls at any time to provide impartial and confidential advice to the British Armed Forces. Officers are regularly invited to relevant army conferences and equipment demonstrations to keep them up to date with current capabilities. However, members are rarely seen in uniform and enjoy an independence not seen elsewhere in the military. “If I have to sit in front of a three-star General and explain that he or she may be wrong, I need to be able to do that without wearing a rank slide” said the Commanding Officer, Gary Sullivan, in 2020. The corps is administered by a Board of senior corps officers, chaired by the Commander (a Colonel as Commanding Officer) and assisted by the Chief of Staff (formerly Acting Adjutant), normally a Lieutenant Colonel who also acts as the Board’s secretary. The Chief of Staff is always a retired army officer currently working in a relevant profession who acts as a point of contact for advice. The current officers are mainly chief executives, directors and senior managers of 60 different engineering, transport and logistics organisations, which together employ 100,000 people. Recent Commanders include: Colonel Keith White CBE 2008-2017 Colonel Richard Hunt CBE 2017-2019 Colonel Gary Sullivan OBE 2019-2023 Since July 2024 the Corps’ current Honorary Colonel is Lt General Sir David Eastman KBE, Deputy Chief of the General Staff who succeeded Lt General (rtd) Ivan Jones CB, Commander Field Army 2019-2021 == Operations ==

The corps has advised British forces in the following operations, amongst others: • Gulf War • Bosnian War • Kosovo War • Afghanistan War • Iraq War In addition to peacetime roles in infrastructure, training, planning and logistics. ==See also==